English for Effective Communication I
Kuala Lumpur
2nd July - 27th July 2007
When I obtained the scholarship award to study English in Malaysia I never imagined that this experience could change my life. I thought, it will be English course for one month in an exotic country, that's all, what else?
To the moment to come to the airport of Kuala Lumpur I started to feel a change in my body, because of the climate: extremely hot and with a lot of humidity, I began to sweat at once. In my way to IPBA I saw many bushes and trees that I had never seen before, of intense green and long leaves; and all the buildings were modern with a strong Muslim influence.
At the course we were 29 people from 20 different countries. From the beginning I tried to talk with everyone but our accents were very different and it was hard, but after a week I started to understand more and more. Since the first day I was elected as a lider of the English for Effective Communication I course, and I tried to do the best thing that I could.
Our classes started at 8 am and finished at 4 pm. We studied many topics: phonetic, grammar, vocabulary, etc. And also studied a little bit of Bahasa language, which was very useful in the shops.
I really enjoyed the Malaysian food (especially Satay) with all its influences of China and India, I eat in the IPBA's canteen, restaurants, malls even in the now I'm a fanatic of rice, chicken, fish and all kind of spicy sauces. I also eat fruits: rambutan, durian, and many others but I can not remember the names.
The course was including the visit to many places along Malaysia: King's palace, National monuments, Penang island, Malacca, Putrajaya, etc. And by our own we visited: Twin Towers, Aquaria, Batu Caves, China Town, Bukit Bintang (malls), KL Tower, Mersing and Tioman Island.
I want to thanks to the government of Malaysia for this opportunity to improve my English, to know a wonderful country and, of course, the opportunity to do friends all over the world. I hope friendship that will last forever.
Finally, I also want to say thanks to the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme stuff: Mr. Ng Hee Liang, Head of Unit; Mr. Aslam Khan, International Wing; Mdm. Maimon Abdullah, International Students Affair; Sharul Khuzaini, Assistant Administrator; all the lecturers that teaches with dedication and love, and all the people that made this experience possible.
Andrés Saavedra
In front of IPBA (International Languages Teacher Training Institute)
In historical Melaka - where else. A must.
Tropical island in the sun - Pulau Tioman
With my Amigos (Friends)
www.kln.gov.my/perwakilan/santiago
http://apps.emoe.gov.my/ipba/index.htm